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Big Brother In The Sky

4K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  Keepthewind 
#1 ·
I was not aware of the pressure by LEO and private enterprise in the USA to allow aerial drones and ROV's (remotely operated vehicles) access to American skies.

Law enforcement wants them to spy on us from above, catching speeders and criminals of various kinds.

Homeland Security wants them to watch our borders and protect our coastlines from smugglers, terrorists and smugglers of illegals.

Private companies want them to do work that is boring or dangerous, such as flying pipeline routes to check for leaks, aerial mapping, etc.

I don't have a problem with most uses of ROV's and drones but I DO have concerns that they could be used by LEO or even local governments to spy on us. Tracking our vehicles. Looking for zoning violations, even checking if our grass is uncut.

The privacy concerns are monumental I think.

If you are bothered by this as I am you need to contact your political representative and the FAA to let them know. This is the time to influence any laws governing flying spies-in-the-sky.

Here a recent news article about this issue:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_bi_ge/us_drones_over_america

I am bothered that in this article there is no mention of citizen privacy concerns.
 
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#4 ·
Thanks guys.

This is one of those issues that most Americans won't be aware of. One day they will wake up, see all of these drones in the sky and finally realize why so much of what they do and say are know by the authorities.

It needs to be stopped in its infancy, not later.
 
#6 ·


these freak me out, too. there's another clip somewhere on the 'net of a far more advanced version that's capable of some pretty impressive/frightening maneuvers.
 
#10 ·
you're a new member so i'm unfamiliar with your style. are you being sarcastic?
 
#14 ·
Funny......The drones I have seen have automated avoidance systems so if the human pilot(s) flying it from the ground are inattentive there is a back-up system to prevent such an occurrance. Just becuas they are unmanned does not mean they do not have a person controlling it. A predator drone is less likely to have a collision in a busy airspace than a piloted craft of the same size. There are more people involved in flying the predator than can fit in an aircraft of that size.

The only drawback I see is drones don't make much noise so when they have a man hunt for that escaped felon that has ditched the cops on the ground in my neighborhood I will not be able to hear the rotor wash and be more prepared for the thug who may decide to crash through my window......but then again the felon wo't know there is an eye in the sky either so it is a wash!
 
#13 ·
I just don't get it ........ drones can only see what is in plain view (from an airborn perspective of course) you won't be able to see anything different with a drone than you can see with the helicopters used by LEO agencies today.

The only difference is they will have better loitering time aloft and at a cheaper cost to us in taxes (which means departments that may never have been able to afford a chopper + maintenance and Pilot costs can now have an eye in the sky)

So....where is the downside to this that is any different to the small miniscule (almost non-exsistant) downside to police helicopters we use today?
 
#15 ·
The downside as I see it:

1) Lower cost means LEO and other organizations will use more of them than traditional helicopters are used now. More us means more potential invasion of privacy. City and town councils spying on whether you have mowed your lawn, have a dead car in your back yard. The nosiness potential is endless.

Child protective services can follow you and your family and see if you are "abusing" your children.

Private companies and insurance companies can use drones to spy on employees who have filed a workplace accident claim.

See what I mean?

2) The increasing clutter of these drones means a greater risk of collisions among them and with larger traditional aircraft.

Imagine driving where there are no lanes or lane markings. It doesn't matter that you may be able to see other vehicles coming at you or if radar or collision avoidance systems will warn you. Just think of the added stress of flying than pilots have now?

But my main concerns with drones revolve around privacy issues.
 
#18 ·
Love those Boston accents.

The camera work is terrible. They need a better cameraman.

As for the "app", it scares me. It's not as bad as chipping people, but almost as scary.

My view is that just because we have a technology doesn't mean it should be used.
 
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